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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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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: date · roll · vault · root · wind · nail · kick · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — a container
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. roll — a list
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. date — the fruit
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. root — of a word

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