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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 · temple · chair · vault · press · lean · band · tube

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lean — thin
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — a contest
  6. tube — a container
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tube — the underground
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — a publisher
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lean — to bend
  14. vault — a safe
  15. race — the arms race
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. race — humankind

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