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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — a series
  3. cell — in biology
  4. vault — a safe
  5. row — a line
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — a contest
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — humankind
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wax — to grow
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bank — of a river

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