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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. plane — a tool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — a path
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — to keep track
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. track — a song
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a ring
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — to recline
  24. band — a music group

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