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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. shower — rain
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. field — a subject
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — to crush
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — farmland
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — of a river
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bank — for money

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