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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: fork · ground · kick · fan · file · wave · vault · hand

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. vault — a safe
  19. ground — the earth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — to eat with

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