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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 · fork · cell · perch · bound · mug · squash · capital

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. board — a committee
  6. mug — a face
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. capital — money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bound — tied together
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mug — to rob
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — to get on

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