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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: shower · pop · temple · vault · wound · prune · drill · foot

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — a measure
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. drill — army training
  12. pop — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — to wash
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — to visit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — rain
  23. drill — a practice
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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