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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.

Make a worksheet

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: arm · vault · wind · tube · land · suit

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. vault — a safe
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — to come down
  15. suit — clothes
  16. land — a country
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — in a tire

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