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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: vault · march · coach · shower · tear · hand · fan · board

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — the month
  14. board — to get on
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — help
  24. board — a committee

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