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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: plane · staff · spring · wake · rush · kick · dip · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spring — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — for sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. kick — in football
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — of water

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