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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: march · perch · stock · wind · coach · fan · staff · wave

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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