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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. last — finally
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — final
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — a subject
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. face — to confront

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