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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: bound · scale · stem · last · bowl · bore · mate · jam

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bore — to tire
  3. scale — in music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. last — to go on
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — certain
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — tied together

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