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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: straw · present · lean · vault · fan · row · root · wound

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. present — there
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — thin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. root — of a plant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — the cause
  11. present — the time now
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. root — of a word
  21. present — a gift
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fan — to cool the air

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