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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: wound · nail · can · wind · rest · drill · vault · saw

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — the tool

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