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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: rest · cue · dip · rush · tube · wax · court · squash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rest — a break
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cue — a signal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of a king
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. court — of law
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — a container
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cue — a hint

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