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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: mine · drill · vault · spring · game · cabinet · date · pound

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. drill — army training
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spring — of water
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — a practice
  12. game — a match
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — a weight
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. date — on the calendar

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