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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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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: perch · ball · cell · drill · tear · stem · staff · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — army training
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — in a prison

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