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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: object · tear · squash · pitcher · jam · row · cabinet · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — from crying
  6. row — a line
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tear — to rip
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — an aim
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. row — to paddle
  22. field — for sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. row — a quarrel

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