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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: mouse · pound · squash · rush · capital · rock · last · field

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. field — farmland
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. last — to go on
  19. rock — music
  20. field — a subject
  21. last — final
  22. field — for sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. capital — money

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