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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.

Make a worksheet

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: vault · file · straw · fan · bulb · wound · spell · swing

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a document
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — to play on
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

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