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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: race · leaves · vault · band · branch · press · mate · craft

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. race — a contest
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. race — the arms race
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mate — a friend
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — to breed
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a ring

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