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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: content · stem · pound · safe · capital · saw · board · degree

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — to come from
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — a city
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — happy
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — from a university
  23. board — to get on
  24. content — videos and posts

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