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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.

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: trunk · vault · tube · lean · swing · mine · capital · press

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tube — the underground
  3. press — to push
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — a safe
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. swing — music
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mine — belonging to me

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