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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: bowl · cell · fan · spell · vault · stand · bound · straw

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bound — certain
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — tied together

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