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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: rash · ground · cell · board · capital · bass · prune · bound

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — in biology
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — a phone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — money
  11. bass — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. board — to get on
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — a series
  16. capital — a city
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — a committee
  21. bass — low music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ground — a position
  24. prune — the fruit

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