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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 · pound · rest · rash · tube · foot · spring · date

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — a coil
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — a weight
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. date — the fruit

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