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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: spell · plane · race · band · bat · root · vault · last

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. race — a contest
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — to go on
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — letters
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — finally
  16. root — of a word
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — final
  19. vault — a safe
  20. race — humankind
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. plane — a tool

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