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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 · straw · file · spring · stem · rash · rush · field

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — to come from
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. field — a subject
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — farmland

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