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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. firm — steady
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — a safe
  10. firm — decided
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — the arms race
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — army training
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — a division
  22. firm — a company
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — a contest

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