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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: object · land · cabinet · squash · march · bound

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — tied together
  9. march — music
  10. object — a thing
  11. land — a country
  12. object — to protest
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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