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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · bound · season · club · perch · stem · fork · land

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — the fish
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — a group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — in a road
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — in sport
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. land — ground
  20. bound — certain
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — a stem cell

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