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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 120 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: land · net · wind · perch · stick · sharp · root · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. net — for catching
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — a country
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. root — of a word
  19. net — after costs
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stock — goods
  24. perch — for a bird

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