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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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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 · present · ground · stem · club · rule · snap · bulb

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — government
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bulb — for light
  9. present — there
  10. rule — a law
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ground — a position
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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