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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: object · pound · content · land · key · perch · prune · hide

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — a weight
  8. land — to come down
  9. key — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — ground
  14. key — the most important part
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — the fish
  17. land — a country
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. key — for a lock
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — happy
  24. object — to protest

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