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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · chip · content · bound · mine · bear · ground · wave

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — a position
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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