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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: stock · can · plane · hand · chip · lie · perch · object

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. hand — help
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chip — to eat
  8. object — an aim
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stock — goods
  13. object — a thing
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. object — to protest
  19. plane — a tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — for betting
  23. plane — in geometry
  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