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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: kid · rock · nail · vault · hand · last · content · bulb

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — a stone
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kid — to tease
  18. last — final
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. rock — music

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