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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: vault · snap · branch · fine · coach · kid · pop · suit

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — to tease
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — music
  10. kid — child
  11. fine — all right
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — a safe
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fine — high quality
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. suit — to fit
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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