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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · bear · net · squash · pitcher · wax · fork · swing

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — the sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. squash — to crush

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