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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: perch · clip · patient · rest · stock · club · craft · object

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — for golf
  8. object — a thing
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — boats
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — to protest
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — for paper
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. club — a group
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. object — an aim
  24. perch — for a bird

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