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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.

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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: cell · wave · field · mate · rush · capital · drill · bay

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — farmland
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. field — for sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — a subject
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — money

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