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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: perch · roll · nail · face · chest · stock · craft · lean

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stock — goods
  7. roll — a cake
  8. face — to confront
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lean — to bend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — boats
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. roll — a list
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — thin
  23. chest — a box
  24. nail — for a hammer

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