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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · tube · rock · rush · fan · lash · cold · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — a container
  7. rock — music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — the underground
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — hurry
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — help

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