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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: jam · prune · vault · cap · tube · chest · tear · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cap — of ice
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tube — a container
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chest — a box
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — of your body

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