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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: dip · vault · tear · mug · roll · capital · fan · lash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mug — a cup
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. roll — a cake
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mug — a face
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. tear — to rip
  22. roll — a list
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mug — to rob

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