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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: wound · bound · sharp · mine · stock · root · leaves · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — tied together
  10. root — of a plant
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. root — the cause
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stock — goods
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — of a word
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — a phone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cell — in biology

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