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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
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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: stock · ground · mark · band · chest · fall · perch · saw

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ground — a position
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chest — a box
  19. stock — goods
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a trace
  24. saw — the tool

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