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

Word bank: pit · chair · tube · bank · wake · rest · key · rush

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wake — a trail
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rest — what's left

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