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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.

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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: bay · spring · trunk · hide · wave · perch · chair · last

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — to go on
  24. perch — 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