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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: mug · lean · spell · rest · stock · cell · perch · snap

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stock — shares
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stock — goods
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rest — a break
  18. spell — magic
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — a phone

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