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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: bore · net · foot · land · stock · drill · chest · perch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — after costs
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — to come down
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chest — a box
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chest — of your body
  24. land — ground

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