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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: board · tube · bore · pound · cell · jam · bark · wake

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. board — a committee
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tube — the underground
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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