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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 · cue · snap · leaves · content · tube · net · rock

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rock — music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — the underground
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — after costs
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — the amount
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rock — a stone

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