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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: band · cell · lean · fine · tube · rash · vault · wake

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — thin
  20. tube — a container
  21. band — a music group
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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