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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bore · cold · bear · board · wake · capital · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bass — low music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. board — to get on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. squash — the sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — a city
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — the animal
  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