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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · temple · dip · wound · object · hand · mug

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — an aim
  4. mug — a face
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — a safe
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — the tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mug — a cup
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mug — to rob
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — army training

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