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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · rash · cell · field · pass · mug · jam · wave

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — a series
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rash — hasty
  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