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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. race — a contest
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. race — humankind
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — to protest
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. object — an aim

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