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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: cell · race · band · calf · vault · prune · hand · rash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — a contest
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a ring
  7. vault — a safe
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — a phone
  18. race — humankind
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a music group
  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