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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
468
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: pop · press · vault · lean · chest · tube · mate · capital

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chest — a box
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. vault — a safe
  8. capital — a city
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — to breed
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — to bend
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — thin
  15. press — to push
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chest — of your body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. tube — a container
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — to visit
  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