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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.

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: march · field · bound · snap · can · rush · racket · spell

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spell — letters
  18. rush — hurry
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. march — music

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