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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: charge · dip · degree · land · content · wound · bound · mate

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — from a university
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. land — to come down
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — obliged
  16. charge — in control
  17. dip — to sink
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — certain
  20. mate — a partner
  21. degree — an amount
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. content — the amount

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