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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: rest · stem · stand · bear · face · file · land · bound

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rest — a break
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — the animal
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stand — to bear

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