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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: track · fan · bowl · bear · club · vault · stem · content

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — for golf
  5. track — a path
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stem — to come from
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. club — a group
  24. track — to keep track

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