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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: stock · perch · hand · bear · pitcher · pop · spell · hide

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — soda
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pop — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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