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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: bound · ball · lean · wind · rock · last · stem · roll

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — thin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rock — a stone
  24. last — final

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