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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: fan · board · perch · band · branch · rush · vault · drill

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. board — to get on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. board — a committee
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. band — a ring
  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