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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: bound · perch · band · clip · bulb · trunk · key · straw

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — for a lock
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — a video
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — certain
  17. band — a ring
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. key — the most important part
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — to cut

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