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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 120 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: bark · clip · scale · perch · content · lean · trunk · fine

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. clip — to cut
  6. content — happy
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — to bend
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — thin
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fine — all right
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bark — of a tree

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