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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: pop · racket · march · land · rush · press · rest · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — a country
  6. march — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. land — ground
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — newspapers
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — music
  24. press — a publisher

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