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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: hide · rule · vault · bass · hand · drill · tear · shower

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. shower — rain
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rule — a law
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rule — government
  18. tear — from crying
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bass — the fish

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