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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: vault · bear · row · fall · mine · club · race · present

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. present — a gift
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fall — the season
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — humankind
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. race — a contest
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. race — the arms race
  15. club — for golf
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — a group
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mine — an explosive

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