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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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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: bulb · press · file · cabinet · temple · mate · vault · wind

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. file — a tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — a friend
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — moving air

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