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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: arm · stock · clip · squash · scale · mug · perch · wake

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. squash — the sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — goods
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — a trail
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — to rob
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stock — shares

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