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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: tube · fall · vault · roll · pop · lean · row · ruler

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pop — soda
  3. lean — thin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pop — to visit
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pop — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fall — the season
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. roll — a cake
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — to drop

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