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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: kid · perch · hide · trunk · saw · pound · band · sharp

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kid — to tease
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. band — a music group
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. band — a ring
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. perch — the fish
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — child
  24. hide — to keep secret

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