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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — certain
  13. band — a music group
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — a coil

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