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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: suit · lean · perch · board · stock · ball · cold · trunk

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lean — thin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. suit — clothes
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — shares
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. board — to get on

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