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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: land · clip · perch · scale · bulb · temple · root · tear

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — the cause
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — size or range
  10. land — to come down
  11. root — of a word
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a plant
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — the fish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — to rip
  24. clip — to cut

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