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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: lean · present · bay · hand · bound · stem · wound · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. lean — thin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — tied together
  7. present — the time now
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bound — certain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. present — there
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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