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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for dancing
  12. firm — decided
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. bank — of a river
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. firm — a company
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. club — a group
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. firm — steady
  24. club — for golf

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