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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: craft · rush · date · toast · field · bay · spring · pop

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — to visit
  8. toast — bread
  9. field — farmland
  10. rush — hurry
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. bay — a horse colour

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