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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: leaves · cue · bark · cap · vault · wind · roll · tube

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tube — a container
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cap — a hat
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a list
  20. cap — a lid
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — for pool

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