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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: drill · spring · mark · kid · march · wound · vault · suit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — to fit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. march — music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mark — a grade
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mark — a trace
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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