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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.

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: vault · tube · prune · fan · bark · press · hide · chest

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — to push
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — a box
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — a safe
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — animal skin

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