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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: tube · row · jam · rush · field · dip · last · ruler

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. last — final
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — for sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. dip — to sink

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