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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: can · press · club · vault · bore · roll · pop · cabinet

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pop — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. can — to be able to
  13. roll — a list
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — a safe

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