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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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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: bound · club · calf · stick · stem · wound · fall · cell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — a phone
  12. club — for golf
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — the season
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — to drop

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