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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: can · chip · fork · degree · snap · vault · wake · spring

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to click
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. can — to be able to
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fork — in a road
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wake — a trail
  18. can — a tin
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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