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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: bear · tube · scale · kid · lash · date · foot · vault

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. foot — a measure
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. vault — a safe
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — child
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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