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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 116 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 · season · mouse · scale · stand · file · stock · bark

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. stand — to bear
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — in music
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — for weighing

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