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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: hand · bound · rock · stem · bowl · fan · date · hide

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — certain

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