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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 · deal · mine · current · wake · toast · squash · straw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. current — electric
  9. squash — to crush
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. current — happening now
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — of water
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. field — a subject
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. toast — bread
  24. wake — a trail

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