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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — the underground
  8. vault — a safe
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. club — a group
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. club — for golf

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