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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 116 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: bark · stock · saw · lie · perch · game · sharp · pitcher

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — to recline
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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