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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.

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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: rush · spring · pitcher · fan · ball · field · mate · jam

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spring — of water
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ball — a great time
  24. jam — in traffic

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