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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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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: rush · staff · wave · field · mate · stand · stick · kick

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — hurry
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kick — in football
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. field — for 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