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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · ruler · fine · hand · branch · foot · stock · snap

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — help
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stock — goods
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. snap — to click
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stock — shares
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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