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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: snap · lie · field · pound · fork · kid · vault · cell

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cell — in biology
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fork — in a road
  5. field — farmland
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kid — child
  20. snap — to click
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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