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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
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: ground · kick · spell · squash · lash · pitch · prune · field

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kick — in football
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spell — magic
  24. kick — a thrill

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