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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: wind · content · court · plane · bulb · ground · bound · fork

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — for sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bound — obliged
  5. court — of a king
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. court — of law
  18. fork — in a road
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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