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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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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: mark · tube · band · rush · stick · cold · cell · suit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. band — a ring
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cell — a phone
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mark — a grade
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rush — a thrill

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