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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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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a ring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. hand — help
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cold — not warm
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cap — a hat
  21. branch — a division
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. band — a music group
  24. sharp — clever

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