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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.

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: perch · calf · ground · track · lie · mark · stem · content

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mark — a trace
  8. track — a song
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lie — to recline
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mark — a grade
  23. ground — the earth
  24. calf — of the leg

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