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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: squash · stick · field · drill · firm · wake · spell · race

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — a contest
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the sport
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — a subject
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — decided
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — humankind
  18. firm — steady
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — a trail
  23. firm — a company
  24. squash — to crush

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