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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
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: snap · field · rule · kick · scale · rush · spring · mine

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — in football
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — farmland
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — government
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — in music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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