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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: kick · bulb · hand · branch · vault · straw · wake · race

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. kick — in football
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — a division
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. race — a contest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — help

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