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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: vault · capital · toast · tube · can · bound · clip · press

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — certain
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — tied together
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — a container
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — a city
  14. tube — the underground
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. press — a publisher
  19. can — to be able to
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. capital — money
  24. clip — to cut

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