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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: vault · wound · bank · lash · pop · wake · pitch · race

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bank — for money
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — a safe
  6. race — humankind
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pop — soda
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. race — a contest
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — music

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