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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 116 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 · march · net · shower · wake · stem · bound

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. present — there
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — certain
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — after costs
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lean — thin
  13. march — music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. shower — rain
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — to bend
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. net — for catching
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — a gift

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