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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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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 · clip · hide · wind · board · suit · prune · last

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wind — moving air
  8. suit — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — to go on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. last — final
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — to get on
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. last — finally
  24. suit — to fit

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