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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 120 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: mine · wound · board · tube · nail · race · vault · present

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — a safe
  6. board — a committee
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — a contest
  11. board — to get on
  12. tube — a container
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — humankind
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. present — the time now
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. present — there
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mine — belonging to me

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