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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: hand · staff · bound · stock · drill · fine · wound · vault

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bound — tied together
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fine — all right
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — army training
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — goods

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