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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: squash · capital · spell · bulb · chest · deal · lean · board

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — thin
  5. board — a committee
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — magic
  13. capital — money
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lean — to bend
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chest — a box
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — to get on

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