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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 120 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 · march · bat · straw · bound · cabinet · stem · rock

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rock — music
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bat — the animal

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