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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: lean · chair · bore · bass · stand · content · chest · pound

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lean — thin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chest — a box
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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