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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: fine · clip · squash · field · toast · root · fall · present

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. fine — high quality
  11. present — a gift
  12. root — of a word
  13. clip — for paper
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. toast — bread
  21. root — of a plant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — a subject

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