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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 116 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: perch · hide · ground · stock · mine · pop · bear · deal

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — a position
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pop — soda

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