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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 116 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: mouse · race · straw · lash · vault · band · ground · bass

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. race — humankind
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. band — a ring
  21. bass — the fish
  22. race — a contest
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — the arms race

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