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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: perch · track · fan · wind · wound · fork · lean · vault

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. lean — to bend
  2. track — a path
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — a song
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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