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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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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 · drill · chair · wax · staff · spell · nail · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bound — certain
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wax — to grow
  18. staff — employees
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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