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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: present · land · perch · swing · ruler · ground · stock · wound

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — the fish
  4. present — there
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — to play on
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — a country
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — to come down
  22. stock — shares
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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