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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · shower · mug · bound · tube · snap · mouse

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mug — to rob
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. shower — rain
  14. snap — to click
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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