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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: lie · pop · land · wave · hide · fan · stem · bound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — certain
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — to come down
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — a country
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — soda
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. land — ground

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