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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: season · jam · rash · perch · lean · spell · pound · stock

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spell — letters
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — of the year
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stock — goods
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lean — thin
  23. spell — magic
  24. perch — the fish

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