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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spring — the season
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — the most important part
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spring — a coil
  16. plane — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. key — in music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — of water

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