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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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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 · bound · stem · squash · net · game · racket · march

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — wild animals
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — for catching
  16. march — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — obliged
  20. board — a committee
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. squash — the vegetable

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