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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bore — to tire
  3. vault — a safe
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bore — to drill
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bank — for money
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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