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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: perch · wind · stock · capital · suit · rush · staff · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — to paddle
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — goods
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. perch — the fish
  17. suit — to fit
  18. capital — money
  19. suit — clothes
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rush — hurry
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. row — a line

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