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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spring — the season
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — happy
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bound — certain

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