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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · spell · perch · craft · march · toast · lean · pitch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — the month
  4. spell — a short time
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — shares
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lean — thin
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. march — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. craft — boats
  22. pitch — completely
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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