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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: bound · bear · pop · land · jam · leaves · trunk · stem

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — certain
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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