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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · row · season · bound · content · calf · bear · cold

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. root — the cause
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. cold — an illness
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — to paddle
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. content — happy
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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