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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: squash · ground · press · mug · field · wind · fan · stock

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stock — shares
  7. press — newspapers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — a face
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — a position
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. press — a publisher

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