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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. race — a contest
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. vault — a safe
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — the arms race
  11. roll — a list
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — thin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. field — farmland
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. branch — a division

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