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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
468
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: rash · craft · date · swing · rush · track · tube · bore

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. track — a path
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — a skill
  13. track — to keep track
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. swing — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tube — a container
  22. track — a song
  23. craft — boats
  24. tube — in a tire

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