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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 · object · content · can · root · tear · tube · dip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. object — to protest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. object — a thing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a word
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. root — the cause
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — happy
  19. object — an aim
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — a tin

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