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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · row · staff · fine · perch · spell · branch

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — all right
  4. row — to paddle
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — a division
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. row — a line
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — a safe
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — a stick

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