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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 116 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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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: vault · mine · tube · bass · wound · sharp · plane · cue

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bass — the fish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wound — an injury
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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