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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: drill · bound · tube · vault · wax · net · scale · ground

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — in music
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — for catching
  17. bound — certain
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  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