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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: mark · bound · stem · drill · present · bat · court · bay

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — of law
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mark — a trace
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mark — a grade
  11. present — the time now
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. drill — army training
  17. stem — to come from
  18. present — there
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bat — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — of a plant

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