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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: squash · chair · shower · mark · wake · firm · field · craft

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — steady
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — decided
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. firm — a company
  20. craft — a skill
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a handicraft

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