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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: wound · vault · bowl · drill · track · deal · row · hand

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. drill — a practice
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — a line
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. track — a path
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a song
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — to paddle
  23. track — to keep track
  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