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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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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: pop · tube · rest · toast · rush · club · stick · wind

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. toast — bread
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tube — a container
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rest — a break
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — to visit
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. tube — the underground

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