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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: cap · mate · tube · shower · degree · vault · can · bowl

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — a friend
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cap — of ice
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. degree — temperature
  24. tube — the underground

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