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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stock — goods
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stem — to come from
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stock — shares
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com