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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: vault · wind · bark · fan · toast · band · plane · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. toast — bread
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wind — moving air
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. object — an aim
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a music group
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. plane — a tool

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