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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: race · bay · band · wind · vault · drill · season · kid

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. kid — child
  3. band — a ring
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. race — the arms race
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — a safe
  11. race — a contest
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — the tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — in sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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