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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: rock · rush · can · field · tear · deal · chest · mug

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mug — to rob
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chest — a box
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. field — a subject
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a face
  23. can — to be able to
  24. tear — to rip

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