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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: shower · fine · track · jam · club · drill · wound · vault

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — to keep track
  3. club — for golf
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. drill — a practice
  6. club — for dancing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. shower — rain
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wound — an injury
  13. club — a group
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — to wash
  16. vault — a safe
  17. drill — army training
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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