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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 120 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: field · mouse · rush · kid · mine · content · rock · leaves

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rock — a stone
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rock — music
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. rush — hurry

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