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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: object · dip · content · craft · rule · march · bound · wind

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — government
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rule — a law
  8. bound — tied together
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. bound — obliged
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — moving air
  17. object — to protest
  18. bound — certain
  19. march — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rule — to rule out

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