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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: bass · field · pound · wake · vault · lash · game · drill

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. field — a subject
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — farmland

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