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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: vault · current · field · tear · mate · squash · pitcher · saw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. mate — to breed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — electric
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mate — a friend

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