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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.

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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: vault · craft · band · press · squash · foot · kid · bore

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. foot — a measure
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kid — child
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. craft — boats
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. band — a ring
  20. kid — to tease
  21. vault — a safe
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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