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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: field · spring · cabinet · deal · stem · rest · last · rush

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. field — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — hurry
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spring — the season
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — to go on
  18. spring — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — farmland
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — a big deal

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