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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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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: net · bound · vault · land · club · rash · fan · lie

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. club — for dancing
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. club — for golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — a group
  10. land — to come down
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — tied together
  16. vault — a safe
  17. net — after costs
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — a country

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