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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: face · bass · perch · pitcher · rest · deal · stock · staff

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the instrument

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