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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: squash · saw · stem · perch · mug · stock · fine · spring

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fine — all right
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spring — of water
  23. stem — of a plant
  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