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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 116 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mine — for digging
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — a contest
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. race — humankind
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — for paper
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. race — the arms race
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for golf

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