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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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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: bass · nail · perch · toast · band · trunk · sharp · bound

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a ring
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — low music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. perch — the fish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. toast — bread
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — certain
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — the fish

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