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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. race — humankind
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. object — to protest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — a safe
  15. race — a contest
  16. club — for golf
  17. object — a thing
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. object — an aim
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kid — child
  23. foot — a measure
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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