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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: field · foot · spell · arm · sharp · can · prune · squash

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — farmland
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. squash — the sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. can — a tin

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