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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 · bear · vault · spell · stick · drill · nail · chest

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — the underground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — magic
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — the animal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chest — a box
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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