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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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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: vault · wax · band · fork · race · tear · arm · hide

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tear — from crying
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. race — humankind
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a music group
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. band — a ring
  15. race — the arms race
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — to grow

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