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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 116 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: pound · plane · vault · cabinet · ball · drill · field · lean

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — farmland
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lean — to bend
  10. drill — army training
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a dance
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — a weight
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. drill — a practice

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