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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: wound · pound · pitcher · bowl · key · drill · temple · vault

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. key — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. vault — a safe
  17. drill — army training
  18. pound — a weight
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. drill — a practice

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