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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: ground · spell · present · bark · rest · cue · perch · content

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — the earth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ground — a position
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. present — a gift
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. present — the time now
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cue — for pool

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