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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: cue · mine · last · tube · cap · trunk · rush · press

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — final

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