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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: cell · rash · prune · drill · bound · stem · game · lean

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lean — to bend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. game — a match
  23. lean — thin
  24. cell — in a prison

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