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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: mouse · stick · board · row · suit · spring · rule · capital

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — a committee
  4. suit — in cards
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rule — a law
  7. spring — a coil
  8. row — a line
  9. suit — to fit
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  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