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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · wave · staff · spring · field · pitcher · squash · lie

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. field — for sport
  3. spring — the season
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. staff — employees
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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