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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: plane · shower · board · squash · roll · calf · suit · field

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. field — farmland
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. board — a committee
  12. roll — a cake
  13. squash — to crush
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. suit — clothes
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. board — to get on
  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