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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: wake · rush · key · vault · tube · net · spell · fork

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spell — letters
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. vault — a safe
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — magic
  19. key — in music
  20. net — after costs
  21. fork — in a road
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — for catching
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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