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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: rush · pop · court · stem · ball · lie · pass · tube

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of law
  9. tube — a container
  10. pop — soda
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — for sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — music
  22. pass — a permit
  23. court — of a king
  24. lie — an untruth

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