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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: board · prune · spell · roll · chip · squash · rest · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — a short time
  5. roll — a cake
  6. board — to get on
  7. rest — a break
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rest — what's left
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — magic
  19. roll — a list
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chip — in a computer

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