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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: fan · wound · rest · bulb · spell · pitcher · vault · ground

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rest — a break
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spell — letters
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spell — magic
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rest — what's left

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