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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: board · ground · pound · fan · bound · mouse · fork · rule

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pound — a weight
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rule — government
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — certain
  23. board — a committee
  24. ground — a position

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