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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: saw · net · chest · spring · tube · vault · press · clip

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. net — for catching
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — a box
  8. clip — a video
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. press — newspapers
  14. vault — a safe
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — a publisher
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. tube — a container

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