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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — certain
  15. object — an aim
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — to protest
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spell — letters
  22. present — a gift
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — a thing

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