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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: roll · straw · wave · vault · tear · race · rock · mouse

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. roll — a list
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — humankind
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rock — a stone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. race — a contest
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. vault — a safe

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