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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: club · wound · rush · cell · vault · bay · leaves · tube

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. club — a group
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. club — for golf
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — a container
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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