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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 116 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: stem · fine · wake · bound · root · march · land · bowl

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. land — to come down
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. march — the month
  12. land — a country
  13. root — the cause
  14. fine — all right
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a word
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fine — a penalty

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