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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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468
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: cell · can · wound · mate · mark · tear · prune · bound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cell — a phone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bound — certain
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — to breed
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — obliged

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