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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.

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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: vault · nail · bass · march · pitch · tube · can · wake

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tube — the underground
  11. vault — a safe
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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