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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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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 · season · content · craft · mouse · clip · roll · pound

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. perch — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. season — in sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — of the year

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