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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: net · coach · vault · wake · bore · shower · bound · content

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bound — tied together
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — to tire
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. content — happy
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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