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

Word bank: tube · vault · march · suit · band · fork · trunk · wind

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. suit — in cards
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a music group
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — the underground
  18. suit — clothes
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. march — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — the month

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