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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: spell · cue · last · bound · march · hand · stem · leaves

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. spell — a short time
  5. hand — in cards
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cue — a signal
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — help
  18. march — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. leaves — of a tree

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