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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 116 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: staff · club · field · last · content · saw · bound · bank

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. content — happy
  4. bound — obliged
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — finally
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — to go on
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — for sport
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — a subject
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — certain
  24. bank — for money

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