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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · trunk · nail · rash · vault · sharp · firm · wind

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. firm — steady
  4. sharp — clever
  5. vault — a safe
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — moving air
  9. land — to come down
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. firm — decided
  20. rash — a series
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wind — moving air

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