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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. field — for sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — a subject
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. content — happy
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. content — the amount
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — to crush
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a tree

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