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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 120 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: bulb · content · chest · bore · fine · wound · chair · bay

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — all right
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chest — a box
  15. content — happy
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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