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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: mate · field · fine · rush · wind · dip · key · trunk

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — in music
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — a subject
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — to sink

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