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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: lean · cue · club · rash · tear · field · can · rush

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. club — for golf
  5. lean — to bend
  6. club — a group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rush — hurry
  11. can — a tin
  12. cue — a hint
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — farmland
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cue — a signal
  24. can — to be able to

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