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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. land — ground
  3. bound — certain
  4. firm — decided
  5. squash — to crush
  6. board — to get on
  7. stock — shares
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — to come down
  12. firm — steady
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. land — a country
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stock — goods
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wave — of the sea

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