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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — a coil
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — temperature
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — of water
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — to get on
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. board — a committee
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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