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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: game · tube · tear · vault · trunk · jam · date · pound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. date — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tube — the underground
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pound — a weight
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — to hit hard

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