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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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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: mug · tube · wake · swing · rock · spell · rush · cell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spell — magic
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — a face
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spell — letters
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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