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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 116 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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468
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: club · calf · tube · kid · nail · bound · saw · vault

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. club — for golf
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — obliged
  17. vault — a safe
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. club — a group
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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