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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — part of the head
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — the underground
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tube — a container
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. face — to confront
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — a publisher
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. branch — of a tree

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