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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: drill · chip · foot · rush · date · season · spring · wake

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — a trail
  5. drill — a practice
  6. season — of the year
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — of water
  13. chip — for betting
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. foot — a measure
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — the season

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