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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 · lie · tube · ground · cue · spring · bore · field

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — the season
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. field — a subject
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — of water
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — a container
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ground — crushed

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