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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: bound · degree · arm · content · cap · board · squash · wave

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. board — a committee
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. arm — part of the body

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