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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.

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: leaves · kick · stem · march · field · lash · rash · bound

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — a subject
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — the month

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