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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · chip · straw · root · season · squash · prune · pitcher

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — the cause
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — in sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — the sport
  13. root — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — of a word
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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