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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: spell · press · cabinet · swing · bound · board · field · mate

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spell — letters
  5. swing — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. field — farmland
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. field — for sport
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — certain
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — tied together
  16. board — to get on
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — to push
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mate — a friend
  24. press — newspapers

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