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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 116 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: ground · mate · rush · snap · fan · field · tear · last

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — finally
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ground — the earth
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a partner
  13. field — a subject
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — for sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ground — crushed
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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