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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: perch · bowl · wave · land · mark · content · stock · rest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — shares
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — a grade
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — the fish
  8. content — happy
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. content — the amount
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — a break
  17. land — a country
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wave — with your hand

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