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

Word bank: bass · cap · vault · tear · drill · fork

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — the fish
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cap — a hat

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