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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · rash · race · row · stick · tube · bulb

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rash — a series
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. row — a line

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