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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: stock · sharp · straw · perch · mark · scale · season · shower

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mark — a grade
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — shares
  10. perch — the fish
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — in music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. shower — to wash
  23. scale — size or range
  24. straw — a straw man

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