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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: wake · mine · vault · chip · kick · bound · band · snap

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. snap — to click
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chip — to eat
  11. vault — a safe
  12. band — a ring
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bound — obliged
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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