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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: stick · rush · field · object · bound · stock · squash · fan

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. field — for sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — goods
  18. object — an aim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — shares
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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