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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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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: bore · lean · pop · can · march · squash · game · board

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. march — music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — a match
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — to get on
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to tire
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. march — the month

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