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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: wound · chip · kid · bank · vault · trunk · spring · coach

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — child
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — to tease
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chip — for betting

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