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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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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: bank · squash · ground · firm · sharp · field · wake · shower

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. shower — to wash
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. firm — steady
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — a company
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ground — a position
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — farmland

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