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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 120 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: content · mate · track · stand · cold · leaves · bass · bound

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — happy
  12. bound — certain
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — low music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — obliged
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. stand — on your feet

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