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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: object · file · field · rush · squash · ground · fork · wake

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — farmland
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. object — an aim
  14. ground — the earth
  15. object — a thing
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rush — hurry
  18. file — a document
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fork — in a road

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