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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · mark · fork · wound · vault · spring · fan · rash

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spring — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fall — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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