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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: bound · cold · bark · mark · board · foot · scale · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. content — the amount
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cold — not warm
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — happy
  24. scale — in music

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