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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
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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: fan · mug · rash · sharp · cue · field · bound · spring

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mug — a face
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mug — to rob
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spring — a coil
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — the season
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — a series
  24. fan — a supporter

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