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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 120 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: can · drill · key · spell · bound · game · bark · content

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — letters
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. key — the most important part
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — happy
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — the amount
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — army training
  14. key — for a lock
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spell — magic
  24. game — a match

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