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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: vault · bass · bore · hand · wind · nail · shower · pass

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — in cards
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. shower — rain
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — low music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — help

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