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

Word bank: field · hand · date · snap · squash · jam · ground · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. field — a subject
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. squash — the sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — in cards
  18. branch — a division
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. date — the fruit
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ground — crushed
  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