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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.

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: wind · pound · bound · content · season · ground · wake · lean

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — thin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — the amount
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — to add flavour

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