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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 · land · cell · tube · coach · current · cue · hide

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. land — a country
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tube — a container
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — electric
  23. coach — a trainer
  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