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

Word bank: cap · bear · firm · wake · foot · content · perch · kid

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. firm — steady
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. content — the amount
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bear — the animal
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. cap — a lid
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cap — a hat
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — to put up with

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