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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pop — soda
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rush — hurry
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — finally

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