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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 120 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: stock · hand · band · plane · bay · chip · perch · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. hand — in cards
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. band — a music group
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. perch — the fish
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — help

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