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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · field · rush · press · wound · land · rash · current

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — a country
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. current — of water
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rush — hurry
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — ground
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — a grade
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — to push
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wound — an injury
  23. current — electric
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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