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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: ground · mark · stand · content · field · arm · bound · wave

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. field — farmland
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bound — certain
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — a subject
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. field — for sport

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