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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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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: fan · tear · board · vault · toast · race · lean · staff

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a committee
  6. lean — to bend
  7. staff — employees
  8. vault — a safe
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. staff — a stick
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tear — to rip
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — thin

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