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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: chip · content · perch · cell · rock · staff · spring · bass

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — happy
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. content — the amount
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — to eat
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bass — 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