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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: face · foot · jam · wind · date · wake · perch · stock

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — part of the head
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. face — to confront
  12. stock — goods
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. foot — a measure
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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