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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: content · clip · shower · chest · ground · safe · root · perch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — for paper
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. content — the amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. root — the cause
  10. chest — a box
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. content — happy
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. perch — for a bird

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