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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · snap · plane · squash · craft · pitcher

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to click
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. plane — in geometry

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