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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: drill · tube · ground · spell · squash · field · stick · bowl

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. field — for sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — army training
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — a container
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. drill — a practice

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