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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 · march · stem · nail · wound · bulb · content · trunk

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — music
  24. wound — an injury

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