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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: ground · bank · stock · prune · season · perch · arm · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stock — shares
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — a position
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — of the year
  16. bank — of a river
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — in sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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