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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: lean · track · perch · stock · arm · fall · wound · squash

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. squash — to crush
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stock — shares
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — the season

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