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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: fan · calf · stock · date · mate · perch · snap · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mate — a partner
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. date — the fruit
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. firm — steady
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — to cool the air

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