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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: clip · scale · perch · track · leaves · cap · rock · stock

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — in music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — shares
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — to keep track
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — for paper

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