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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: stem · net · leaves · bound · bulb · rule · march · row

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — tied together
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. row — a line
  7. net — for catching
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. march — music
  11. stem — to come from
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rule — government
  21. row — to paddle
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — of a plant

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