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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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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 · tube · wax · cabinet · net · stick · lash · bat

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — after costs
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — in sport
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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