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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: file · tube · cap · mate · temple · hand · can · rush

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tube — a container
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a document
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. tube — the underground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — to hurry

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