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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: stick · pound · vault · coach · nail · rush · kid · lean

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — thin
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kid — child

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