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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: pitcher · date · vault · tube · swing · bore · wave · can

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tube — a container
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — in golf
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. swing — to play on
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. vault — a safe
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — to drill
  23. swing — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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