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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: wound · clip · fork · bay · roll · object · bound · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. object — a thing
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wound — an injury
  10. object — to protest
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — an aim
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bound — obliged
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. bound — certain
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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