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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · bound · mine · land · content · toast · dip · plane

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — a tool
  4. land — ground
  5. content — happy
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — tied together
  22. content — the amount
  23. bound — certain
  24. dip — to sink

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