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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: pound · land · squash · season · current · vault · field · plane

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. field — farmland
  7. plane — a tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. current — electric
  10. field — a subject
  11. land — a country
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. vault — a safe
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. current — of water
  18. field — for sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. land — ground
  21. current — happening now
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — to crush
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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