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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: hand · fan · wind · drill · racket · bowl · spell · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — help
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. drill — army training

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