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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: last · pop · stem · wake · bound · bear · bay · content

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pop — soda
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — final
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — certain
  20. pop — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — to come from

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