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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 120 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: court · vault · wind · pound · net · bulb · band · tube

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a music group
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. band — a ring
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. court — for sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — the underground

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