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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: fine · stock · file · cap · chair · wound · perch · fall

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stock — shares
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fall — to drop

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