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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: perch · clip · tube · last · bulb · pound · board · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tube — the underground
  4. board — to get on
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. last — final
  20. clip — for paper
  21. content — the amount
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — to cut
  24. perch — the fish

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