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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. staff — a stick
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pass — a permit
  24. branch — a division

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