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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: nail · field · race · scale · calf · shower · date · vault

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. date — the fruit
  9. scale — size or range
  10. race — a contest
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — farmland
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — a safe
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — rain

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