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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: arm · lash · rash · race · drill · snap · vault · wound

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — army training
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — the arms race
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to click
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rash — a series
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. arm — part of the body

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