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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 116 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 · club · mine · track · tube · fine · wave · cold

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fine — all right
  11. club — a group
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tube — a container
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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