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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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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: bore · vault · race · spring · jam · mate · tube · file

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. vault — a safe
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. race — the arms race
  9. file — a line of people
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a friend
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a tool
  19. spring — of water
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. race — humankind
  23. tube — the underground
  24. race — a contest

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