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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: arm · cap · lie · net · stick · bear · perch · stock

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. net — for catching
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. net — in sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — to recline
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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