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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — low music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bank — for money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bass — the fish
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fall — the season
  24. snap — to click

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