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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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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: bank · drill · chair · field · dip · hand · vault · pound

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — in cards
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — help
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bank — for money
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — a sauce

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