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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: squash · trunk · bass · clip · last · season · race · perch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. race — humankind
  4. last — finally
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — final
  8. clip — to cut
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — a video
  11. bass — the fish
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. squash — the sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. perch — the fish
  18. season — in sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — a contest
  23. clip — for paper
  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