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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: vault · staff · drill · fine · present · wind

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — army training
  6. present — a gift
  7. fine — all right
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — high quality
  12. present — the time now
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — there
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wind — moving air

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