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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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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: field · rest · snap · leaves · rock · spell · lash · club

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rock — music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. club — for golf
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — a group
  14. rest — a break
  15. spell — magic
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rock — to move gently
  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