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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: can · wound · mine · stem · rest · bear · fan · bound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rest — what's left

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