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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: perch · pop · rest · mark · clip · staff · bound · tube

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mark — a trace
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — certain
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — a break
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — soda
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tube — a container

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