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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 116 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: bowl · prune · vault · wake · kid · tube · hide · chip

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — the underground
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chip — to eat
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — a container

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