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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: clip · net · deal · rock · shower · vault · root · fan

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — to wash
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. root — the cause
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. net — in sport

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