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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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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: land · fan · vault · root · march · present · object · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. vault — a safe
  3. present — the time now
  4. land — ground
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — the cause
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — an aim
  12. land — to come down
  13. present — a gift
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. march — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a word
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — a country
  23. present — there
  24. root — of a plant

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