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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: bound · content · tear · season · rush · arm · squash · wind

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. squash — to crush
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bound — tied together
  24. content — happy

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