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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: pound · board · band · field · capital · squash · mouse · mate

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a ring
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  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