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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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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: track · tube · vault · spring · pit · wind · cap · pop

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. track — a song
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — a hole
  14. track — a path
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pit — in a race
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spring — the season
  23. track — to keep track
  24. spring — of water

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