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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · capital · content · rest · plane · spring · kick · ground

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — the earth
  4. content — the amount
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — of water

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