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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: season · rash · perch · stock · fan · snap · bowl · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. snap — to click
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — shares
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — in sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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