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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 120 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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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: foot · last · cabinet · patient · wake · stock · lean · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. last — final
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — a measure
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lean — thin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stock — goods

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