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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bound — obliged
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — for golf
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. club — a group
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. club — for dancing
  24. stem — of a plant

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