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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 · content · leaves · court · race · vault · wound · dip

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — a container
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tube — the underground
  13. race — the arms race
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. court — of a king
  16. race — humankind
  17. content — the amount
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — a contest
  24. content — happy

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