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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: saw · leaves · mug · field · rash · pop · rule · spell

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — a subject
  4. rash — a series
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pop — music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rule — government
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — magic
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mug — a cup
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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