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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · field · saw · fan · squash · cabinet · bass

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. squash — to crush
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — low music
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bass — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. staff — employees
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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