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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: bore · capital · trunk · board · content · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. swing — in golf
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — a committee
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — to get on
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. swing — to play on
  16. capital — money
  17. bore — to drill
  18. 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