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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 116 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 · bulb · mine · cell · land · board · pound · straw

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in biology
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — ground
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — to crush
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — a phone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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