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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: mine · perch · fine · date · season · bear · row · stock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stock — shares
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — goods
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. perch — the fish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. date — the fruit
  20. season — of the year
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. season — in sport

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