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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: spring · cap · trunk · bound · fall · track · sharp · stem

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a path
  5. stem — to come from
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a hat
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — certain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spring — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of a car

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