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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: chest · vault · file · squash · cell · wave

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — a box
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. file — a document
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. file — a tool

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