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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: chest · cap · bound · rest · wake · rush · tube · track

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tube — a container
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. track — a song
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chest — a box
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cap — of ice
  24. track — a path

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