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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: tube · ball · hand · rush · kid · bear · board · rest

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tube — a container

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