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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: pit · bark · drill · bass · clip · band · club · vault

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — a group
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pit — in a race
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — a video
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. club — for golf
  22. band — a ring
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. clip — for paper

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