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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: mine · plane · perch · stem · tear · bound · pound · wound

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pound — a weight
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — for digging
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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