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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · stem · last · bound · bear · cue · craft · fall

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. last — final
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. land — ground
  20. craft — boats
  21. last — finally
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fall — to drop

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