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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 120 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 · lean · swing · capital · wind · trunk · snap · rush

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lean — thin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lean — to bend
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. capital — money
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to click
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. swing — music
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. capital — a city
  24. swing — to play on

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