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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: foot · bound · cell · spring · content · saw · bulb · squash

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cell — a phone
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — certain
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. content — happy
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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