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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: field · fan · spring · lash · object · firm · toast · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — steady
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. firm — a company
  12. field — for sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. object — a thing
  15. firm — decided
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. object — an aim
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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