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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: cell · race · band · calf · vault · prune

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. 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. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a ring
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a music group
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. vault — a safe
  17. race — the arms race
  18. 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