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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 · bound · present · lash · trunk · bear · last

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — final
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. last — to go on
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — a gift
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. last — finally
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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