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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 120 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: root · nail · bowl · race · vault · hand · branch · last

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. last — finally
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. last — to go on
  5. race — a contest
  6. vault — a safe
  7. race — humankind
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. race — the arms race
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. last — final
  21. hand — help
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — part of the body

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