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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 120 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: firm · board · saw · season · perch · bound · stock · row

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — steady
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — shares
  18. firm — a company
  19. season — in sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — the fish

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