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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · perch · cell · stock · capital · vault

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — in biology
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. capital — money
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — a phone
  11. capital — a city
  12. vault — a safe
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. perch — the fish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a big letter

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