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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: deal · field · rule · rush · staff · spring · mouse · cabinet

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rule — government
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — for sport
  24. spring — the season

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