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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: clip · firm · trunk · bear · bay · last · perch · band

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. band — a music group
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — decided
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. last — finally
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. clip — to cut
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — of a tree

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