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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 116 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: fork · vault · shower · cap · bulb · band · wind · lash

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. band — a music group
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — in a road
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — rain
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a ring
  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