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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: field · root · land · squash · toast · branch · saw · wake

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — ground
  7. root — of a plant
  8. field — a subject
  9. root — the cause
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — to come down
  14. field — for sport
  15. toast — bread
  16. land — a country
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. root — of a word
  24. saw — the tool

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