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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.

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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: dip · stock · club · straw · land · bowl · current · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. land — ground
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. current — of water
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. current — happening now
  20. club — for golf
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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