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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 116 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: swing · bear · bass · perch · cell · bark · net · last

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — to go on
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — music
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — final
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — in sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. last — finally

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