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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: kid · fan · vault · shower · spell · hand · stick · content

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. vault — a safe
  3. shower — rain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — letters
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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