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

Word bank: jam · spring · content · board · foot · chest · wake · roll

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spring — of water
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. content — happy
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chest — a box
  15. spring — the season
  16. roll — a cake
  17. content — the amount
  18. roll — a list
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. board — to get on
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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