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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: clip · root · mug · perch · wound · content · bore · land

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bore — to drill
  7. land — ground
  8. clip — a video
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mug — a cup
  11. root — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — the cause
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. content — the amount
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. land — a country
  21. content — happy
  22. root — of a word
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wound — an injury

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