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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.

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: stick · wake · can · track · squash · cell · bound · board

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — a path
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. track — a song
  17. can — to be able to
  18. board — to get on
  19. track — to keep track
  20. board — a committee
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. can — a tin
  24. board — a flat piece

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