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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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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 · land · bat · nail · hide · fall · bore · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. vault — a safe
  5. land — a country
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — ground
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — gave birth

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