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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: present · branch · date · land · spell · bound · content · stick

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. present — a gift
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. present — there
  21. spell — letters
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. land — ground

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