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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — to drill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — a box
  22. branch — a division
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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