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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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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: bound · club · last · track · bulb · stem · arm · calf

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — finally
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. club — for golf
  13. track — to keep track
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — a group
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — a path
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — to come from

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