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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 116 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: last · court · rush · mouse · tube · stem · cabinet · rash

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. last — final
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — a series
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — finally
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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