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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 120 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: drill · leaves · bowl · kid · vault · land · lash · net

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kid — to tease
  5. drill — army training
  6. net — after costs
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. vault — a safe
  23. drill — a practice
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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