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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: wound · race · vault · fork · temple · file · clip · pound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a document
  6. race — a contest
  7. fork — in a road
  8. file — a tool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. clip — to cut
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. race — the arms race
  23. clip — a video
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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