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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. vault — a safe
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chair — to sit on

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