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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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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: mine · ruler · wake · deal · jam · last · rush · tube

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — hurry
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — finally
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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