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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 · scale · current · bound · pitcher · lie · saw · chest

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chest — a box
  12. lie — to recline
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — the amount
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. current — of water
  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