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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: bound · squash · chip · vault · wave · snap · tube · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — for betting
  8. snap — to click
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bound — certain
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chip — in a computer

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