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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: vault · fan · game · bark · bass · band · bowl · lean

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. game — a match
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a ring
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bark — to shout

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