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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: mug · can · field · cell · straw · ruler · spring · stand

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — a face
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. field — for sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spring — of water
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. can — a tin
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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