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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: arm · lean · field · dip · vault · race · net · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — thin
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — after costs
  11. field — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — the arms race
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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