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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: ground · suit · lean · scale · bank · squash · snap · field

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bank — of a river
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — for sport
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bank — for money
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lean — thin
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to click
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. suit — in cards
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ground — the earth
  23. scale — in music
  24. suit — clothes

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