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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 · key · pound · leaves · squash · season · capital · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — letters
  9. season — of the year
  10. pound — a weight
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. squash — the sport
  23. capital — money
  24. board — a committee

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