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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
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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: race · rash · clip · saw · perch · prune · bound · hide

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — a series
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. race — humankind
  9. clip — for paper
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — a contest
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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