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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: vault · fan · band · fork · hide · firm · degree · content

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — happy
  6. firm — steady
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — a company
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. fork — in a road
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. band — a music group
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — the amount

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