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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · hide · clip · stock · pitcher · kick · march · wax

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. perch — the fish

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