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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: tube · tear · craft · pit · rock · vault · kick · leaves

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. vault — a safe
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — a hole
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — a stone
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. craft — boats
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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