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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: bark · lean · stem · game · bound · wave · scale · coach

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lean — thin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bound — certain
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — in music
  24. wave — of the sea

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