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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: rush · field · rash · content · branch · bulb · safe · spell

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — a division
  9. content — the amount
  10. rash — a series
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — letters

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