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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: spring · pop · content · fan · saw · date · rush · mark

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. date — the fruit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pop — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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