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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: present · perch · band · spring · root · content · rule · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. rule — a law
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. root — of a word
  10. present — there
  11. band — a ring
  12. spring — of water
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — the season
  15. present — the time now
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a music group
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. content — happy
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. root — of a plant
  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