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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: mark · bound · spring · ruler · degree · jam · stem · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bound — certain
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — the time now
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. present — there
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. jam — in traffic

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