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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 · cell · content · pop · land · bound · key · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. key — for a lock
  3. land — ground
  4. root — of a word
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pop — music
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — the amount
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — in biology
  16. key — in music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bound — obliged
  22. root — the cause
  23. content — happy
  24. cell — a phone

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