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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: board · scale · chest · stick · bore · wind · content · mark

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — the amount
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bore — to tire
  9. content — happy
  10. scale — in music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a grade
  13. board — to get on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — a committee

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