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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · firm · object · mine · wound · perch · foot · content

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. object — an aim
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — to protest
  11. firm — a company
  12. object — a thing
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. foot — the bottom

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