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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 116 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
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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: hand · rush · fan · squash · mug · last · field · bulb

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. last — final
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bulb — for light

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