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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: wake · pop · date · bound · capital · leaves · squash · chair

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pop — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — certain
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bound — obliged
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. capital — money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — to visit

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