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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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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: bank · mate · perch · row · content · tear · pass · stock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stock — shares
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — happy
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stock — goods
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — to rip
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mate — to breed

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