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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: pass · vault · can · cabinet · cold · shower · field · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. vault — a safe
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. field — for sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — not warm
  14. shower — rain
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — a permit
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — an illness
  22. field — farmland
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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