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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: hide · stick · branch · pitcher · file · cold · vault · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cold — an illness
  8. branch — a division
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — not warm
  18. file — a tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a document
  24. pitcher — a jug

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