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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · wind · vault · squash · bore · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bore — to tire
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bore — to drill
  9. race — a contest
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. vault — a safe

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