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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: content · pound · rash · bore · stock · foot

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. content — happy
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rash — a series
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stock — goods
  18. foot — the bottom

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