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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: patient · stock · trunk · spring · perch · pitcher · bear · squash

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — shares
  10. perch — the fish
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a car

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