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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — to come from
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — a container
  18. cue — a hint
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cue — a signal

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