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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: spring · field · pass · cabinet · lash · net · rush · game

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. pass — to spend time
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spring — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. spring — the season
  17. field — for sport
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pass — a permit
  21. field — a subject
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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