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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: vault · tear · wind · tube · cue · toast · coach · race

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. toast — bread
  5. cue — a hint
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. race — humankind
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — a container
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cue — a signal
  23. race — a contest
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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