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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: squash · capital · bound · mouse · content · scale · stem · sharp

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — to come from
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — happy
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bound — tied together

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