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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: bark · squash · march · cell · ground · stem · bound · board

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. board — to get on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — to shout
  23. board — a committee
  24. stem — a stem cell

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