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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: march · spell · saw · trunk · tube · field · board · squash

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — a subject
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — letters
  10. march — the month
  11. board — a committee
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — for sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. board — to get on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — music

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