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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 116 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 · lash · net · firm · lean · pitcher · board · press

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. board — to get on
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — decided
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. vault — a safe
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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