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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · fan · bark · perch · wax · chair · club

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — for golf
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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