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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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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 · bear · arm · nail · wind · bore · toast · drill

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. drill — army training
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — the most admired

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