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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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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 · game · pound · content · prune · object

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. object — a thing
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. content — happy
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — certain
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — wild animals

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