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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 116 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
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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: rock · squash · ground · fine · field · wake · pop · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — a video
  9. squash — to crush
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — farmland
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fine — all right
  18. rock — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ground — a position
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — the vegetable

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