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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: hide · fall · pop · perch · stock · mark · spell · track

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — a path
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mark — a grade
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stock — shares
  23. fall — the season
  24. pop — soda

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