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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 120 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: suit · tube · field · mug · face · ground · squash · temple

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — for sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — farmland
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — a container
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ground — crushed
  9. field — a subject
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mug — a cup
  12. suit — in cards
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tube — the underground
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — the earth
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. suit — clothes
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. suit — to fit

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