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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: cue · cell · net · tube · rush · mark · field · bulb

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tube — the underground
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — for pool

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