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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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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 · kid · ground · content · march · leaves · coach · cabinet

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — obliged
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kid — child
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — certain
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bound — tied together

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