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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: pit · tear · perch · content · bound · dip · firm · staff

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. firm — decided
  16. content — the amount
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — from crying
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pit — a hole

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