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

Word bank: ruler · chest · can · tear · leaves · content · bound · fork

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bound — obliged
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. can — a tin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chest — of your body

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