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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: root · hide · bound · net · drill · jam · stand · content

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — happy
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. root — of a word
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. stand — to bear
  23. drill — army training
  24. root — of a plant

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