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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — army training
  3. track — a path
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mark — a grade

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