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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: leaves · branch · stem · fall · bound · spell · bear · track

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a song
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spell — letters
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fall — to drop
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. track — a path

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