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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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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: lean · bound · mine · dip · straw · march · vault · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — a safe
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — thin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. march — music
  20. race — a contest
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. march — the month

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