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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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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: branch · shower · spell · fan · can · band · last · vault

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. last — finally
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. band — a music group
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — final
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — letters
  20. vault — a safe
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — rain
  23. spell — magic
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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