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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: hide · perch · suit · clip · bass · straw · cell · fork

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. suit — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — a video
  15. fork — in a road
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the fish
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — to eat with

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