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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: squash · track · stand · ground · mouse · capital · date · bound

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — certain
  4. capital — money
  5. ground — the earth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. track — a path
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stand — to bear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bound — tied together

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