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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 120 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 · wind · bowl · vault · trunk · wound · rush · deal

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rush — hurry
  9. vault — a safe
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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