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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bound — obliged
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — a video
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. root — of a word
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. content — happy
  23. foot — a measure
  24. land — a country

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