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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
468
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: spring · field · game · mouse · squash · hide · rash · fine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fine — high quality
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — all right
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. field — a subject
  24. game — a kind of play

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