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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.

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: ruler · bound · patient · bulb · degree · foot · content · leaves

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — temperature
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — from a university
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — certain
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. foot — the bottom

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