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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · tube · staff · drill · mouse · rash · swing · ball

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. drill — army training
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — the tool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — a container
  24. mouse — the animal

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