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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: lean · perch · court · hand · current · stock · saw · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. current — of water
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — electric
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. current — happening now
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lean — to bend
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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