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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: fork · vault · last · rush · file · bear · net · lean

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — in a road
  9. net — after costs
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. last — finally
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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