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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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Word bank
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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: plane · race · cold · vault · straw · bear

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man

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