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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: club · perch · stem · content · clip · rush · rule · calf

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. club — for golf
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. club — a group
  13. content — the amount
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rule — government
  18. clip — to cut
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. calf — a young animal

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