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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pop — music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  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