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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: spring · ruler · fan · face · lean · swing · court · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spring — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lean — thin
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — to bend
  24. face — to point toward

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