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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 120 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 · wave · rash · snap · firm · tear · leaves · stem

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bound — certain
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. firm — steady
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rash — a series
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. snap — to click
  24. wave — with your hand

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