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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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ground — the earth
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ground — crushed
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rock — music
  14. field — farmland
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — a position
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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