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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: lie · field · drill · ground · date · squash · foot · saw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. drill — army training
  4. ground — the earth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ground — a position
  17. field — a subject
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — for sport
  24. ground — crushed

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