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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: plane · face · firm · field · wound · saw · bowl · squash

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — to confront
  23. firm — steady
  24. field — farmland

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