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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: bass · tear · wind · saw · stem · bound · mark · trunk

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — a trace
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — a grade
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. trunk — of a tree

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