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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 120 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: bound · present · trunk · hand · leaves · stem · bat · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pop — to visit
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — certain
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — a gift
  15. hand — help
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bound — tied together
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pop — music

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