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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · field · bulb · shower · saw · squash · hand · rock

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pop — to visit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. rock — a stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pop — music
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — to wash
  16. field — farmland
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. shower — rain
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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