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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: tube · land · bound · bulb · bass · chest · stem · march

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — a box
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. bass — low music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — a container
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the instrument

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