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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 116 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: ruler · rush · leaves · stock · season · row · face · perch

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — to confront
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — shares
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — of the year
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rush — hurry
  24. ruler — for measuring

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