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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: plane · ground · vault · calf · bulb · kid · tube · hide

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. vault — a safe
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tube — the underground
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ground — crushed
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. kid — to tease
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ground — a position
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — child
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. calf — a young animal

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