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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: racket · bear · straw · squash · stand · plane · cabinet · field

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. field — farmland
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — a subject
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cabinet — ministers

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