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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 · pitcher · shower · press · stock · cap · leaves · mark

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cap — a hat
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — a grade
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a lid
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — of ice
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — the fish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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