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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: bank · stock · bark · straw · scale · perch · cue · court

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — for sport
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stock — goods
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of law
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cue — for pool
  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