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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: race · field · firm · racket · squash · tube · march · wave

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. firm — decided
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. race — humankind
  4. march — the month
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — the month
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. race — a contest
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. firm — steady
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — farmland
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — a container
  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