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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 120 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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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: pound · land · wake · hand · hide · temple · arm · vault

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — help
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wake — a trail
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pound — a weight
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — a country
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. temple — side of the head

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