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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: tube · rush · vault · rest · calf · bass · date · pitcher

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — in a tire

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