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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: face · tube · season · nail · saw · chest · rush · cue

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — in sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. face — to confront
  21. chest — a box
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tube — the underground

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