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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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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 · ground · temple · root · lash · content · mark · tube

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — the amount
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — a position
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. root — of a word
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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