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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: shower · tube · pass · rush · rash · field · hide · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. shower — rain
  15. rash — a series
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. tube — a container
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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