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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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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: march · content · root · wind · bound · squash · last · bay

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — happy
  3. last — finally
  4. squash — the sport
  5. march — music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — final
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. content — the amount
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bound — certain
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bound — tied together
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — to go on

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