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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 · plane · root · cue · face · land · content · cabinet

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to confront
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — part of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. plane — a tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bound — tied together
  15. face — to point toward
  16. root — of a word
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. content — the amount
  24. bound — certain

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