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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: hand · rule · race · vault · wax · tear · safe · craft

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wax — to grow
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — boats
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. race — a contest
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — humankind
  14. vault — a safe
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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