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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: craft · vault · race · tear · board · mine

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. board — to get on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. craft — boats
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. craft — a skill
  18. race — the arms race

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