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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: bowl · sharp · net · bound · game · tube · stem · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — to come from
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — in sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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