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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: mouse · last · march · plane · field · content · bound · object

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. march — the month
  3. field — farmland
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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