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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 116 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: present · cold · cap · field · tube · vault · firm · lean

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — there
  3. firm — steady
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. firm — decided
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — for sport
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cap — a hat
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. firm — a company

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