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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. race — the arms race
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — a division
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pop — soda
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. ball — a dance
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. race — a contest
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a great time

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