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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — of water
  4. band — a music group
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — in control
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — to come from
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a document
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — obliged
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. spring — a coil
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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