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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: can · rush · field · chest · mark · net · prune · season

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — of the year
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a trace
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — after costs
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — a subject
  24. rush — to hurry

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