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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wind · squash · wake · branch · mark · stick · hand

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — help
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. field — a subject
  24. mark — a trace

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