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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 116 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 · net · wound · shower · drill · fan · land · mug

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — after costs
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — to rob
  12. net — for catching
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — to wash
  23. net — in sport
  24. mug — a cup

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