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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · track · present · root · fine · clip · ground · scale

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. root — of a word
  3. fine — high quality
  4. scale — in music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — a position
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. clip — a video
  16. ground — the earth
  17. track — a song
  18. present — a gift
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — the time now
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. present — there
  24. root — the cause

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