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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. march — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. plane — a tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — a coil
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — a trace
  19. march — the month
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pop — music

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