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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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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 · prune · lie · face · board · fan · wind · straw

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — to confront

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