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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: nail · hand · fine · vault · band · bass · drill · tear

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — all right
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — help
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a music group
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — low music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — a penalty

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