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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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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 · wound · court · rest · bear · fork · tube · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — a committee
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. court — of law
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. content — the amount
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — happy
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — a break

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