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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 116 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: stick · bowl · cold · bound · lean · stem · tube · craft

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — not warm
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bound — certain
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to bend
  24. craft — boats

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