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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: content · pop · press · roll · bound · kid · wound · object

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — newspapers
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. kid — to tease
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — to protest
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — tied together
  12. press — to push
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bound — certain
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — music
  20. content — happy
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. roll — a cake

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