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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: race · pitcher · vault · branch · tube · drill · wound · net

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. branch — a division
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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