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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 120 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 · mouse · squash · pitcher · calf · root · fall · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fall — to drop
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fall — the season
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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