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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: land · stock · kick · perch · season · pass · track · band

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. season — of the year
  6. stock — goods
  7. kick — in football
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. season — in sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. stock — shares
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — a path
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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