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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a ring
  3. field — farmland
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fine — high quality
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fine — all right
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. band — a music group

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