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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: kid · press · saw · tube · plane · degree · fork · vault

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. kid — child
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — a container
  20. degree — temperature
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — a safe

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