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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: fine · tube · vault · kid · drill · bank · snap · squash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. fine — all right
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — a container
  15. squash — to crush
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bank — for money
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kid — child
  20. bank — of a river
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bank — for money
  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