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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: land · clip · rush · tube · bound · fall · rash · cue

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — a container
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — a country
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — certain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — in a tire

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