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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · safe · pop · rush · fan · bay · spell · saw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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