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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: chair · fork · stock · perch · vault · content · leaves · press

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. perch — the fish
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stock — goods
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — to push
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. chair — a leader
  17. vault — a safe
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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