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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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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tube — the underground
  7. object — to protest
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. object — an aim

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