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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: staff · field · bulb · rush · spell · last · wake · court

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — hurry
  10. court — for sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. field — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — to go on
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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