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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: vault · rock · object · wake · spring · race · coach · fine

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wake — a trail
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spring — a coil
  5. object — a thing
  6. race — a contest
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rock — music
  13. race — humankind
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — to protest
  17. fine — all right
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. object — an aim

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