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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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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: drill · rest · snap · vault · spell · row · pop · bank

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. spell — letters
  2. row — a line
  3. pop — to visit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pop — soda
  6. bank — of a river
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rest — a break
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — to paddle
  13. snap — to click
  14. drill — the tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — army training
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pop — music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bank — for money
  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