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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: court · spell · rush · bank · cue · field · jam · bass

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — for sport
  10. field — for sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. court — of a king
  14. spell — letters
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. bass — low music
  21. court — of law
  22. field — a subject
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a signal

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