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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: file · field · pop · lean · net · squash · march · can

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. squash — the sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — for sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — in sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a document
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — to visit
  18. march — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. can — to be able to
  21. field — a subject
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — farmland

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