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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: stock · perch · saw · pass · hide · bore · land · mug

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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 — a soup base
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. land — a country
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — ground
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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