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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · cell · capital · clip · tube · firm · vault · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. can — to be able to
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. capital — money
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cell — in biology
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. firm — decided
  13. capital — a city
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. firm — a company
  16. pop — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. can — a tin
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tube — the underground
  21. clip — a video
  22. firm — steady
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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