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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: fine · stand · rush · nail · game · bulb · hide · field

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fine — high quality
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — all right
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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