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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: rule · season · stem · file · safe · bulb · net · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — after costs
  7. rule — a law
  8. season — in sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bound — certain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. file — a document
  21. rule — government
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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