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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: leaves · stock · capital · bank · season · hand · perch · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — shares
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. perch — the fish
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bank — for money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — money
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — goods
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — in cards
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bank — of a river
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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