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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 120 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: rule · ground · stem · cell · swing · bay · pop · bound

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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 — a phone
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rule — a law
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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