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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. content — happy
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to point toward

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