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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: toast · rush · mark · tear · object · field · snap · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. object — an aim
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. staff — employees
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. object — a thing
  13. staff — employees
  14. toast — bread
  15. mark — a trace
  16. field — a subject
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. staff — a stick
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. snap — to click
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rush — a thrill

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