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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: rush · season · jam · field · spell · pitcher · shower · calf

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — a subject
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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