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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: land · lean · hand · safe · tube · stock · rash · perch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — a country
  10. lean — thin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hand — in cards
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — shares
  19. land — ground
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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