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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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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: last · bound · nail · chest · spring · bore · stem · row

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chest — a box
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — obliged
  13. last — finally
  14. bound — certain
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — to paddle
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. last — final
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — to go on
  24. stem — to come from

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