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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: fork · pop · cabinet · straw · plane · vault · wake · content

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — a tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. vault — a safe
  14. content — happy
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pop — music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pop — soda

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