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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
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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: perch · swing · root · clip · bat · stock · saw · date

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — the fish
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. root — of a word
  13. clip — a video
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stock — goods
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — to play on
  24. date — on the calendar

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