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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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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: fan · vault · wax · tube · kick · can · shower · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pop — to visit

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