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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: craft · chair · chip · content · stand · dip · spring · bound

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — the amount
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bound — certain
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chip — for betting
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chair — a leader
  21. content — happy
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — a coil

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