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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: mouse · wind · season · cue · bound · plane · stem · field

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — farmland
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — a subject
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cue — for pool

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