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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: bank · rush · straw · cold · craft · kid · bound · vault

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bank — for money
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bound — certain
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. craft — boats
  15. rush — hurry
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. kid — to tease
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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