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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · tear · hand · wave · fan · rash · vault · roll

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. roll — a list
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rash — a series
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tube — a container
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wave — of the sea

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