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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 120 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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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 · straw · arm · shower · mouse · fork · dip

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fork — in a road
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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