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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: tube · vault · perch · tear · press · stick · bowl · wax

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tube — a container
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. perch — the fish

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