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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.

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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: season · field · staff · mug · saw · ground · squash · lie

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — to crush
  10. field — for sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lie — to recline
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mug — a cup
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — a subject
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. season — in sport

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