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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: wound · spring · field · squash · drill · last · fall · suit

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fall — the season
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. last — to go on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — finally
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — clothes
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. squash — the sport

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