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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · mug · wave · court · clip · perch · field · stem

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — a face
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — to come from
  14. field — farmland
  15. mug — to rob
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. content — the amount
  21. court — of law
  22. content — happy
  23. clip — a video
  24. mug — a cup

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