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

Word bank: plane · lie · arm · field · vault · perch · degree · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lie — to recline
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. plane — a tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. field — farmland
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — an untruth

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