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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. field — a subject
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — magic
  19. bank — for money
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — a garden tool

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