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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 120 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: march · field · bound · leaves · stem · net · lie · key

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. net — after costs
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stem — to come from
  11. march — music
  12. net — for catching
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lie — to recline
  19. key — in music
  20. field — a subject
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  24. key — the most important part

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