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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 · rule · stick · last · stock · march · object · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — goods
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — final
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. last — to go on
  13. object — a thing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rule — a law
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — shares

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