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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 120 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
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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: rest · perch · bark · trunk · last · arm · staff · bound

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rest — a break
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — employees
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — to go on
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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