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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: mine · rush · game · rash · saw · ground · lean · jam

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lean — thin
  12. ground — a position
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lean — to bend
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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