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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 120 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: face · bound · wound · tear · content · pass · chip · march

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — the month
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — happy
  24. pass — to spend time

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