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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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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: chest · root · bank · clip · perch · bear · straw · pop

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — a box
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bank — for money
  6. pop — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. root — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — of a word
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — a video
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — to visit

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