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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 · cell · arm · mine · trunk · drill · craft

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. craft — a skill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — a phone
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in biology
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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