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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: fan · rush · lean · last · capital · face · bulb · vault

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lean — thin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — part of the head
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — finally
  24. vault — a safe

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