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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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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: pass · mate · present · wax · clip · tube · vault · kick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pass — a permit
  21. present — there
  22. clip — a video
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — to cut

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