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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: board · cell · bore · temple · wind · mark · content · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mark — a trace
  3. content — the amount
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — certain
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — to get on
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — happy
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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