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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: field · can · club · rash · land · rush · foot · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for golf
  7. can — to be able to
  8. land — to come down
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — a series
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. field — a subject
  21. land — ground
  22. field — for sport
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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