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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: vault · stem · squash · bulb · club · press · fan · chair

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. club — for golf
  5. press — a publisher
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. squash — to crush
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — the sport
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bulb — for light
  21. club — a group
  22. stem — to come from
  23. press — to push
  24. stem — of a plant

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