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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · field · squash · board · straw · bound · racket · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. squash — the sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bound — obliged
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — certain
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — to crush
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — a trace
  19. board — to get on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. field — a subject
  23. board — a committee
  24. mark — a grade

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