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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · wound · bay · bound · saw · fork · hand · bowl

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hand — help

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