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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: rash · rush · spell · rock · field · craft · firm · wind

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. firm — a company
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — steady
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. field — farmland
  18. firm — decided
  19. rock — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — a stone

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