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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: pound · land · pop · clip · rock · perch · present · vault

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. land — ground
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. present — there
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. land — a country
  12. pop — soda
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — a weight
  16. clip — to cut
  17. present — a gift
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — music
  24. pop — music

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