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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · perch · stock · hand · bay · scale · band · trunk

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — help
  5. scale — in music
  6. root — the cause
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a ring
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — of a word
  16. stock — shares
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. root — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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