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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: ground · root · wave · branch · content · arm · bound · ball

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. content — happy
  8. root — of a word
  9. bound — obliged
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — of a plant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. content — the amount
  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