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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · present · scale · bore · bass · kid · season · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to drill
  6. scale — in music
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the fish
  9. present — there
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bore — to tire
  12. board — to get on
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pound — a weight
  15. season — in sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bass — low music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — to tease

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