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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: rash · season · wake · stock · wound · arm · perch · fall

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — the season
  10. stock — goods
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — a series
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stock — a soup base

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