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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 · fan · temple · mark · band · tube · club · staff

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a trace
  5. club — a group
  6. tube — the underground
  7. club — for golf
  8. tube — a container
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. club — for dancing
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a ring

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