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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 116 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: wound · key · land · content · craft · board · bound · bear

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. craft — a skill
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. land — a country
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bound — tied together
  11. land — ground
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. board — a committee
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — in music
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — boats
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — obliged

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