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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 · pass · prune · stem · spell · craft · bulb · bass

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bound — obliged
  5. craft — boats
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — certain
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bass — low music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — a short time

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