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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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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 · mug · vault · race · season · rash · club · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mug — to rob
  8. race — a contest
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — hasty
  15. race — the arms race
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mug — a face
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a cup
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — thin

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