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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 120 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 · cold · scale · safe · nail · bound · chest · tube

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chest — a box
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bound — obliged
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — certain
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tube — a container
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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