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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: march · key · fan · perch · lean · vault · file · fall

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. key — the most important part
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a document
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. file — a tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a line of people
  22. key — in music
  23. march — music
  24. key — for a lock

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