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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
468
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: tear · rush · straw · date · stock · tube · bowl · rule

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tear — from crying
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stock — goods
  16. rule — government
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rule — a law
  23. tube — a container
  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