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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: fan · perch · stock · wax · pitch · sharp · pound · rash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitch — completely
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stock — goods
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fan — a supporter

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