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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 · fan · cell · chest · track · scale · swing · staff

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — size or range
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. swing — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — a song
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. track — a path
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — a box
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — in music

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