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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: snap · tube · bound · vault · bay · firm · field · mug

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — a company
  13. field — for sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — a subject
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. firm — decided
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to click
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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