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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: rule · pound · can · field · mug · stick · squash · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — for sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — a law
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mug — a face
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — government
  24. squash — the sport

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