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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: date · cap · bound · firm · board · lean · cold · object

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cap — of ice
  4. firm — steady
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. firm — a company
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cap — a hat
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. bound — certain
  21. date — the fruit
  22. object — to protest
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cold — not warm

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