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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: stock · pitch · club · land · lash · bore · root · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — for golf
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. root — the cause
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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