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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: ground · file · squash · chest · wound · fork · cabinet · stand

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ground — a position
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — a box
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a document
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — crushed
  23. file — a tool
  24. stand — to bear

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