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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: season · plane · fall · band · perch · stem · bound · land

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — ground
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — of the year
  6. fall — the season
  7. bound — certain
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. band — a ring
  20. land — to come down
  21. stem — to come from
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. band — a music group

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