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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bank — for money
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mate — a partner
  11. shower — rain
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stock — shares
  14. row — to paddle
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. perch — for a bird

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