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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: march · bark · wake · bound · dip · foot · temple · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — happy
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. content — the amount
  24. temple — a place of worship

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