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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 · deal · rash · cell · shower · calf · rush · mark

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — hasty
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — for sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mark — to pay attention

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