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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: jam · bound · temple · perch · saw · prune · wound · stem

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bound — tied together
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — to come from
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bound — certain
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. jam — in traffic

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