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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: bound · fan · root · stand · object · land · squash · ruler

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — ground
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. land — a country
  6. squash — the sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. object — an aim
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — a thing
  12. land — to come down
  13. bound — certain
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — of a word
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — tied together
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bound — obliged

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