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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.

Words on the sheet
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: date · perch · cold · bound · press · trunk · stem · leaves

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bound — certain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — to push

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