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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 116 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 · stem · bat · squash · firm · branch · spring · mug

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spring — the season
  8. mug — a face
  9. branch — a division
  10. firm — steady
  11. bound — certain
  12. firm — decided
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. firm — a company
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — of a plant
  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