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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: vault · object · cap · land · spell · rush · snap · hand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spell — magic
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spell — letters
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rush — hurry
  8. object — an aim
  9. land — to come down
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. object — to protest
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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