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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. plane — a tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — a subject
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. season — of the year
  24. field — for sport

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