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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: face · trunk · bass · chip · perch · season · straw · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — to eat
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bass — the fish

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