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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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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: mark · squash · bound · content · wave · last · fall · kid

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bound — certain
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — happy
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. last — final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fall — the season
  24. mark — to pay attention

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