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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 · cell · lash · stem · trunk · current · bound · clip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — the fish
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. clip — a video
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. current — of water
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lash — an eyelash

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