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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.

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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: vault · capital · track · pass · pound · wound · bass · nail

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. vault — a safe
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bass — low music
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pound — to hit hard

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