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

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. vault — a safe
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — for sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. drill — a practice
  17. field — farmland
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — a subject
  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