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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: swing · roll · shower · tear · mate · rush · vault · tube

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. swing — in golf
  3. shower — rain
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — to rip
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mate — a friend
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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