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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: wound · bound · bore · file · content · nail · squash · march

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. march — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. file — a document
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. content — happy
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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